Environmental events this week

A few environmental events happening this week:

1. Tuesday, November 2: Green Drinks in Messrs Maguire on Burgh Quay. The special guest speaker this month is Padraic Fogarty, chairman of the Irish Wildlife Trust and he'll be talking about upcoming reform of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy. There's also (free) vegetarian food and (not free) pints....allegedly the most eco-friendly pints in Dublin.
2. Tuesday, November 2: A talk by Dr Peter Cox from the Social Sciences Department of Cheshire University about planning for and supporting urban cycling. It's on in the Greenhouse (formerly ENFO) on Andrew's Street.

3. Thursday, November 4: UCD's Earth Sciences Institute will host a seminar on Smart Cities, addressed by Michael Roche of IBM and chaired by Dublin City Council planner Dick Gleeson. It's at 12.30pm in the Wood Quay bunkers.

By the way, the following Thursday (November 11), Mary Robinson will speak on the topic of climate justice in the Edmund Burke Theatre at 12.30pm. The Earth Sciences Institute are advising that anyone who wants to attend should book a place. Details are here.

Podcast of October 29's show

On this programme...

• Private waste operator Greenstar on why they won't send waste to the Poolbeg incinerator.
• Is Ireland meeting its responsibilities under the Aarhus Convention on environmental matters? Leah talks to Michael Ewing.
• South Dublin County Council on their anti-bonfire plans.

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Presented by Carys Sanders. News by Louise Finan. Reports by Leah Leiva and Margaret Roche. Produced by Valerie Flynn.

New UN agreement on protecting species and habitats

The UN's 193 nations have agreed a new deal on protecting threatened species - it's something like the Kyoto agreement but for biodiversity.

The deal, agreed in Japan yesterday (Friday), sets out 20 goals to be implemented within the next decade The area of the world's oceans that is protected will go from 1% to 10%, while the area of protected land in the world will go from 12.5% to 17%.

It's a good outcome to the International Year of Biodiversity.

Podcast of October 22's show

On this programme...

• Leah talked to Noel McGloin, Senior Environmental Officer with Inland Fisheries Ireland about salmon, water quality and invasive species in Ireland's rivers and lakes.
• At a seminar on biodiversity in the 'Dead Zoo', Claire asked the experts about the threat posed by invasive plant species in Ireland, and Padraic Whooley of Irish Whale and Dolphin Group told us where to go whale-watching in Dublin.
• From computer desktop energy monitoring to the, ahem, 'waterless urinal': Leah checked out the green business ideas nominated for the top prize at the annual Resource Ireland expo.

Produced by Christina McSorley. Presented by Valerie Flynn. Reports by Leah Leiva and Claire McDonald.

Greenhouse emissions fall because of recession

The recession caused Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions to fall by 5.4 million tonnes (7.9%) last year – but we’re still not in compliance with our Kyoto Protocol targets.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions fell across all sectors last year, most noticeably in the industry and commercial sector where there was a 20% drop.

But the EPA reckons that in 2008 and 2009 we were still 6.2 million tonnes above our target ‘limit’ under the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse emissions. Agriculture remains the single biggest contributor to Ireland’s emissions, at 29.1% of the total.

Dr Mary Kelly, director general of the EPA, said Ireland should use the recession as an “opportunity to embed fundamental emission reductions in the economy in order to meet the very stringent EU 2020 limits which we face.”

“We should not rely on a recession to meet our targets for the future,” she warned.

Ireland's experience tallies with that across Europe. Last month, the European Environment Agency (EEA) reported that emissions across the EU's 27 states fell by 6.9% last year. The EEA says this puts Europe's emissions 17.3% below 1990 levels.

In Ireland last year, emissions from agriculture decreased by only 0.3 million tonnes (1.5 %). This decline is thought to reflect lower sheep and pig numbers and a reduction in gasoil use on farms. Residential emissions fell by less than 1%.

Invasive species: Australia v starlings

We've been covering the problem of invasive species a lot as it's one of the big issues that the UN's 2010 International Year of Biodiversity is designed to highlight.

In Western Australia (pictured below in dark orange), October is the start of starling trapping season. ABC now reports that this year, efforts to eradicate the species are finally meeting with tangible success. The highly adaptable European birds, introduced to the south of the Australia in the 1880s, are seen as an "extreme threat" to agriculture, the environment and the economy.

But eradicating invasive species isn't cheap. WA's anti-starling programme has a budget of $3 million. In addition to culling the birds, the state's Department of Environment and Food has a "pest hotline" where citizens can report sitings of any non-native species.

The harsh lesson for Ireland is that without investment, invasive species like the grey squirrel, Japanese knotweed, and (in a recent development) the Asian clam can not be combated effectively.

Radioactivity in the Irish Sea at historic low

Radioactivity levels in the Irish Sea are at their lowest levels since the 1970s, according to a new report by the Isle of Man’s Government Laboratory.

Low levels of the radioactive isotope Caesium-137 were found in all the seafood tested by the Manx scientists. But the report states that the levels are well below EU-recommended maximum permitted levels.

Low levels of another contaminant, Technetium-99, are found in all Manx lobster. This "will result in only a very small radiation exposure to people who eat lobster on a regular basis," the scientists say. Certain seaweeds are prone to accumulating Technetium-99, "however there is no radiological hazard to the general public using the Island’s beaches, as the Tc-99 content of seaweed is far too low to give any measurable skin contact exposure, from handling seaweed."

The Isle of Man is exactly 32 miles from Sellafield (pictured) and 32 miles from the Irish coast.

The main commercial activity at Sellafield is the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, which results in liquid and gaseous radioactive waste. Most of this waste is stored on site, but some gaseous waste is vented into the atmosphere and some liquid waste is discharged into the Irish Sea.

Four podcasts - September and October 2010

(Apologies for the backlog.)

1. On October 8's show...

• A new car rental scheme modelled on Dublin Bikes

• Repak Recycling Week 2010

• Residents’ reaction to Dublin City Council’s moves to CPO land for the Poolbeg incinerator

And...

• Christina talks to the woman behind the Open House festival

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Presented by Leah Leiva. Produced by Christina McSorley. Reports by Louise Finan and Valerie Flynn. Research by Claire McDonald. News by Valerie Flynn.

2. On October 1’s show...

• Dublin’s directly elected mayor: We talk to Councillor Dermot Lacey, the bookies favourite to take the job, and ask people on the street what they think of the proposed office.
• Ireland’s bats: The threat from wind turbines, and from a deadly fungus.

And...

• Geothermal energy: plans for a plant at Rathcoole.

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Presented by Louise Finan. News by Leah Leiva. Research and reporting by Valerie Flynn. Produced by Christina McSorley.

3. On September 24's show...

• As the closure of Dublin’s civic dump approaches, what next for the capital’s waste?
• How Kilbarrack became Dublin’s first carbon neutral fire station
• Eco-UNESCO’s annual conference

And

• Energy efficiency in Ireland's buildings

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Presented by Jack Cane. Produced by Valerie Flynn. Reports and news by Louise Finan.

4. On September 17's show...

• The Poolbeg incinerator: Councillor Maria Parodi on the problem of the contract’s expiration date.
• Dublin Bikes celebrates a successful first year: We talk to users of the service, and to Councillor Andrew Montague.
• Part two of Christina’s series on green initiatives in Ballymun: the Rediscover Fashion recycling project

And...

• A setback for social housing in Dún Laoghaire.

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Presented by Louise Finan. Produced by Valerie Flynn.

October 15's show

On this week's show....

• The new Cherrywood LUAS opens this weekend but where is Metro North?
• Leah Levia finds out whether Ireland is really protecting its habitat....
• Claire McDonald talks to architect Ali Grehan about the exiting Pivot Dublin project...

And...

• John O'Neill finds out how recycling and waste management can help more than the environment....

The show was presented by Carys Sanders with research by Valerie Flynn. Produced this week by Louise Finan